Healthy Soil Makes for Healthy Potatoes

Healthy soil is essential to growing healthy potatoes, but when soil-borne diseases like Rhizoctonia are present, crop production can be hampered. According to a recent Potato Growerarticle, Rhizoctonia can cause losses nearing 30% of marketable yield.

Rhizoctonia can persist in soil, causing brown lesions to form on potatoes at or below the soil line and impeding vascular function in roots. Preventing this disease helps growers produce higher quality tubers and higher yields. Testing soil prior to planting can help growers detect pathogens, and where Rhizoctonia is present, in-furrow fungicide applications are an effective way to combat the disease.